"Everybody is entitled to a childhood": Taunton carer plans to open SEN community centre
The space would provide respite care for families
A carer from Taunton is hoping to open a brand new community centre for adults and children with special educational needs.
Ruth Irvine has joined forces with parents Paul and Cheryl Arvidson to create a space that would provide a day-service for disabled adults and daytime respite care for disabled children.
It would offer different activities such as craft sessions, science sessions, a sensory room, a soft play room and music, as well as work opportunities for their adult clients.
"I believe, if you and me can walk out and have a choice of things to do, then everybody should have that choice," said Ruth.
"There's nowhere that you can take SEN children that's completely safe, where they can just be themselves.
"It made me realise that everyone is entitled to a childhood, everybody is entitled to have fun and play in a space where they can just be them."
Ruth used to help Paul and Cheryl care for their daughter, Nenna, who had profound disabilities, until she recently passed away.
"We're imagining a picture in our minds of somewhere that Nenna would have loved to go and play in," said Paul, "a place that we never got and we'd have been over the moon to find.
"I just know so many families who don't get any back-up at all.
"Every curb is your enemy, you can't get into half of the cafes, and toilets are all really sketchy.
"So the idea of a place where you could go that wouldn't just have all of those things but it was a really cool, cosy environment with stuff going on - I had to get on board."
The project is currently looking for a home in Taunton and you can read about their journey here.